Lugo’s Struggles a Mystery

Hey guys, I have Lugo right now. Should I be looking to trade him or should I just pick up someone off the waiver wire?

Chris from Chicago

Chris,

Here’s an interesting stat…Lugo’s been on base just 78 times this year, yet has still managed to steal 20 bases. This means he’s successfully recorded a steal in roughly 25 percent of his times on base. By comparison, Jose Reyes’ percentage is about 27. Who knows what Lugo’s stolen base total would be if he were actually hitting above .191! In fact, if we ignore average altogether, Lugo is almost perfectly on pace to duplicate his numbers from 2005 with the Devil Rays, the year he solidified himself as an upper tier fantasy shortstop. Just look at the strikeouts and walks. I think Julio’s average will come around. It may be far from the .295 he hit in 2005, but it won’t remain this ugly either. Think .290 from here on out. Assuming there are quality starting options on the waiver wire and you won’t suffer too much without Lugo’s steals, try benching him until he starts hitting more consistently. People will be too scared off by his average to offer anything close to fair value in a trade.

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